Rail splice bar and rail joint



Nov. 12, 1929.

RAIL SPLICE BAR AND RAIL JOINT Filed May 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l E. w. CARUTHERS 1,735,348

%Q J I 7 1 1 r/ I 7" u I 16 1 46 10 4f 46 15 J2 J4 15 1W Nov. 12, 1929. E. w. CARUTHER S RAIL SPLICE BAR AND RAIL JOINT Filed May 9. 192a 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 12 1929 UNITED STATES EUGENE W. CARUTHERS, OF SECA'NE, PENNSYLVAllIA BAIL SPLICE BAR 'AND RAIL JOINT Application filed May 9, 1928. Serial No. 276,348.

My invention relates to the spliced joints between the successive rails of a railroad track.

A purpose of my invention is toprovide a splice bar joint that will be contained between the outer edges of the rail flange and having its head portion, which engages the under side of the rail head, relatively heavier than its foot portion, which engages the rail flange, the center of gravity axis of the splice bars upon opposite sides of the rails being nearer the head of the rail than the flange thereof.

A further purpose is to provide a splice bar joint that does not extend outwardly beyond the rail flanges and that has its upper section modulus greater than its lower section modulus, the section modulus being taken with respect to a horizontal plane through the center of gravity axis of the bars.

A further purpose is to use different contours of splice bars and dilierent lengths and areas of bolts to accommodate differences in service conditions and differences in the characteristics of the bolt stock and in the characteristics of the splice bar stock.

A further purpose is to provide splice bars having a greater weight of metal above the axes of the b lts than below their axes in order better toreceivethe impacts from the rails. r

A further purpose is to make the location of the splice bar web depend upon service conditions and elastic characteristics of the bolt and barstocks. I vary the distances between the rail web and bar webs according to these conditions and characteristics. .r

A further purpose is to provide the foot portion of splice bars with lateral extension sufiicient to avoid any material local distortion of the bar when tightening the bolts but not greatly in excess of this amount.

A further purpose is to provideinterfittrng arcuate bearing surfaces between the splice bars and bolt members that clamp the bars to place upon opposite sides of rails.

A further purpose is to optionally use washer members for providing stiffening rib supports to the flange portions of a splice bar. so I provide a washer formed to make a tightening fit between the flange portions of a sphce bar so that when the bolt is tightened the flanges are supported near their outer edges against opposite sides of the washer..

A further purpose is to shorten the effectwo length of track bolts that fasten splice bars to place by setting the nut directly on the web of one of the bars and giving the nut an extended portion for a wrench hold. I am in this way able to give the head and foot portions of the splice bar considerable lateral extension while placing the splice bars relatively close to the railweb;

' A further purpose is to provide a nut member between the head and foot flanges of a splice bar with a squarewrench hold beyond the flanges.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and in the claims.

I have elected to show a few only of the many different forms of my invention, but have selected forms that are practical and. effective in operation and which well illustrate the principles involved.

Figures 1 to 4 are vertical sections through 7 difierent forms of rail joints embodying my invention, Figure 3 showing also an optional spiking to a tie at the joint.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section showing a reversal of the nut in Figure 3 along with the use of a slightly longer bolt.

Figure 5 is a reduced scale broken side elevation of structure shown in Figure 3.

Figures 6 to 9 are vertical sections showing other forms of joints embodying my in- 5 vention, Figures 8 and 9 also illustrating different desirable ways of spiking the joint to ties, and Figure 9 also showin a form of the tie plate beneath the splice ars of the joint.

Figures 10 and 11 are a plan view and a side elevation respectively of Figure 9.

Like numerals refer to like parts in all figures.

Describing in illustration and not in-limitation and referring to thedrawingsa- In the past it has been customary to laterally extend the splice members of a rail joint outwardly beyond the rail flanges, and it has also been strongly urged for effective placement of the metal in the splice bars so that the upper and lower section moduli of these members shall be substantially equal.

1 have found it better to keep the splice bars inside the outer lines of the rail flange, and also have discovered that a more efiective placement of the metal in the splicing members is one that makes the upper section modulus of the members greater than their lower section modulus.

The theory that the upper and lower section moduli of the splicing members should be the same has been based upon a mistaken assumption that a solution or how to most effectively place the metal involves merely shaping the bars like beams to effectively support bending moment stresses that are alternate tension and compression in the head of the bar with corresponding alternate com- 2e pression and tension stresses in the foot of the bar.

The beam strenght of the upper portion or": a bar may be considered as determined by the upper section modulus which is the moment of inertia of the whole bar divided by the distance from a horizontal plane through the bars center of gravity axis to the uppermost fiber of the bar, while the beam strength or its lower portion is determined by the same moment of inertia divided by the distance between the lowermost bar fiber to the same horizontal plane through the center of gravity axis of the bar.

The upper and lower section moduli of a bar are equal when its center of gravity axis is midway between the uppermost and lowermost bar fibers.

As a matter of fact the stresses in the bar members are of widely different character and relative importance according to dillerences in service conditions that depend upon many variant factors; such as the efiectiveness of the support given by the individual ties, the elastic and dimensional characteristics of the bolt stock, the elastic and form characteristics of the bar stock, the tightness of the nuts as determined perhaps by the length of time from the last tightened, or perhaps by the personal equation of a workman who did the last tightening, by the extent of any permanent set in the bolts or in the bars, and by the character and magnitude of the rolling loads that must be supported, whether or not these give an excessive pounding action or whether pounding is not excessive.

The impact stresses due to pounding of the wheels are in practice variant but nearly always very heavy. These impact stresses are absorbed throughout the whole section of the bar but are absorbed more at the head than at the foot, and this determines the need for making the head heavier than the foot.

The bending stresses of alternating compression and tension in the bars are .very

messes much less ifthe bars are maintained tightly in place at the adjoining ends of the rails, the bars which support the ends of the adjoining rails from relative movement then being subjected to very heavy shearing stresses.

The effectiveness of the supporting contact at the rail. ends may be, and usually is, much greater after the nuts of the splice bars have been tightened.

After the nuts have been tightened the ei fectiveness of contact gradually lessens until by the time the bolts are about to be again tightened the engagement between the bars and rails may be quite considerably less effective.

@bviously these changes in the etlectiveness of engagement between the bars and rails widely change the character of stresses in the bars and in the rail ends, and I aim to lessen the deterioration in the effectiveness of the joints by selecting bolt dimensions to accommodate variant elastic properties of the bolt stock, and by selecting a contour of bar to accommodate variant service conditions and the variant'properties of the bar stock.

Almost any one of the different forms illustrated may be preferable to any of the others under some conditions of service, the contour of bar, length and diameters of bolts that are best for example with one set of service conditions being interior for use with a different set of conditions, and, vice versa, splicing members that are interior with one set of conditions may be the best for another set of conditions.

Referring to Figure 5 which while the side elevation of Figure 3 may be taken as typical of the other forms, the adjacent ends of rails 10 and 11, supported upon suitable tie-plates 12 and 13 and ties 14 and 15, are held together intermediate the ties by preferably interchangeable splice bars 16 and track bolts 17 and 18.

The track bolts 17, adjacent the rail ends, are under more severe strains and stresses than the bolts 18 near the ends of the splice bars and for this reason I prefer to use bolts that are more perfectly elastic and of greater effective length at 17 than are necessary for the bolts 18. p

The selection of the track bolts should be one of properly balancing considerations of price and better adaptation to meet the intended service conditions. Naturally the bolts that are more perfectly elastic are rela tively high in price, being for example made of alloy steehsuch as a chrome-nickel steel, while the more usual and cheaper bolts are of carbon steel.

I prefer to place the cheaper type of belt at 18 where the strains and resultant stresses are less severe, and to provide more perfectly elastic and efi'ectivelylonger bolts at 17 near ting the stress down in bolt 17 to a value within which the bolts are perfectly elastic by a suitable increase in size and then 0btaining the adaptation to yield by a suitable increase in the effective length of the bolt.

I may use bolts at 17 and 18 that are dimensiorially the same but of different elastic properties, as by using a nickel-chrome steel belt at 17' and a carbon steel bolt at 18.

In Figure 5 the bolts 17 are shown as the two bolts nearer to the rail ends, while the bolts 18 are the two bolts farther away from the rail ends. These are thus illustrated because I wish to point out further how they can be given different strengths or resilience to advantage in improving the strength or service of the joint or in reducing the cost. One of the ways in which the bolts may differ to advantage is in their effective lengths. This is illustrated in a comparison of Figures 3 and 3. With the same shape and size of splice bar the bolt 18 in Figure 3 is made effectively short by engagement of the thread 20 in the nut 21 with the bolt thread close up to the splice bar. The counterbore in the nut is shown as outwardly facing.

As contrasted with this, the bolt 17 is shown in Figure 3 to be elfectively long because the same nut is reversed to face the counterbore toward the splice bar and to bring the threaded part-of the nut toward the outside. The bolt in Figure 3* is shown as actually longer than that in Figure 3 in order to have it engage the full length of the thread. The nuts may be square or hex interchangeably.

I have provided the head 22 (Figure 1) with an inwardly extending heel 23 in a position to ultimately engage the web 24; of the rail after the bar has been in service a considerable period.

I have also provided the upper inwardly directed corner 25 of the head with a radius of curvature that is equal to or greater than but not less than that of the rail fillet 26, and have given the foot 27 a contour such as to adapt it during continual service to grad- Y ually ride inwardly up the flange portion 28 of the rail after further inward movement of the bar head has been stopped by the bar head engaging the rail web.

A forward relief of the foot at29 should be sufiicient to permit the more central portion 30 of the foot to ride up the rail flange and an outer relief of the foot at 31 should be sufiicient to avoid stopping the bar from the desirable vertical canting.

Thistype of bar maintains a live joint I connection between the bar head and rail head out beyond the rail fillet after as well as before the head, through a continued service of perhaps several years, engages the rail web, the bar foot being pulled gradually further inwardly after further inward movement of the head has been stopped and the rail fillet being freed from engagement with the bar head by reason of the canting and upward movement of the bars when the bolts are tightened after the bar'heads have come against the rail web. I have disclosed and claimed this feature in my application for rail joints, Serial No. 27 6,347 filed May 9, 1928, copending herewith.

I preferably provide interfitting arcuate bearing surfaces between the splice bars and bolt members in that these interfitting arcuate surfaces permit changing the angular alinernent of the bars, without eifecting material distortion strains and stresses in the bolts or in the web portions of the bars.

These surfaces include interfitting arcuate bearing surfaces between the bolt head and one splice bar and other similar interfitting arcuate bearing surfaces between the bolt nut or bolt washer and the other splice bar.

The arcuate interfitting surfaces between the bolt member and the splice bars may be of either spherical or cylindrical contour, either form having advantages, and each in certain cases being the more desirable. Both forms permit the bars to cant without an introduction of uneven stresses and strains either in the bolt or in the bar.

It will be understood that the interfitting arcuate surfaces are spherical when they comprise surfaces that are rounded in all directions, i. e. that form portions of spheres; and that the interfitting arcuate surfaces are cylindrical when they are rounded in one direction only, the surfaces then corresponding to portionsof interfitting cylinders.

When the surfaces are spherical they are adapted to tilt relatively in any direction, and when they are cylindrical they are adapted to tilt in one direction only.

In practice the tilting is frequentl in one direction, being that due to the gra ual tilting of the splice bars due to wear and take-up on the bolts.

Sometimes the operating conditions are such that the bolts and splice bars at the joints relatively tilt in one or more other directions, due for example to the bending of the bolts incident to rail creeping, and in this event it will be more desirable to use the for this reason washers are needed under nuts when the interlitting bearing surfaces are made cylindrical.

There are some advantages in making the interfitting arcuate bearing surfaces between the bolt members and bars spherical instead of cylindrical and when this is done the Washer under the bolt may be omitted, the inner end 35 of the nut 21 being formed with a spherical bearing surface 36 to seat in a corresponding spherical depression on the Web oi the bar.

The omission or" the washer shortens the effective length and therefore the requisite length of the bolt and proportionately shortens any permanent set of the bolt during service, incidental y also shortening the total elongation.

lhe shorter bolt Will be preferable or not according to circumstance.

the bolt be of highly elastic stock, the it will not take any material permanen strain, the strain disappearing if and when the stress is removed and the strains and stresses remaining continually proportional, it may be advantageous to have the bolt long because of the resultant relatively great total elongation when the nuts are tightened, in that the very perfect elasticity of the bolts then maintains a very uniform pressure against the splice bars, resulting in a very live joint.

On the other hand when bolts are made of a more usual stock that is only imperfectly elastic they take a permanent set when tight shed and it is then desirable to limit the bolt elongation to a definite value in that this limits a corresponding undesirable permanent set of the bolt.

It will be evident that the total permanent setof a bolt incident to a given total pull will vary directly with the eil 'ect-ive length of the bolt, and that a shorter bolt must also he seetionally smaller if its permanent set is to be the same as that of a longer bolt subjected to the same total longitudinalpull, for thegreases this even the sectional area of the bolt is detcrnnned l by the total engitudinal pull tightening the nuts While the length he desirably increaselto i ci ase tne liveness of the joint increasing the bots elongation. llhen conditions make it desirable to use long bolts may use Washers and the nuts as in Figures 1. l and 6 and use form of splice bar having Web portions spaced of the rail, orbotlu (a A Web. it will be seen that the SDllGllCfll able.

it is obvious that the adi'antage o't ain f" the bearing surfaces between the bars 3; members of an intertitting areuate s one that avoids uneven stresses and st 5 the bolts and in the webs of the ivnen tne bars are relatively ca and also one that avoids uneven stresses in the bolt it the bolt becomes bent which is notat all unusual.

Bolts become bent during serr'ic most tree i quently in a direction longitudinal of the rail, the bending being due to stresses tending to pull the rails apart longitudinally.

When a bolt becomes bent lon itudinally of the rail the spherical seating or the nut and head members are preferable to the cylindrical in that the spherical seating more effectively avoids uneven stresses and strains when the bolts are tightened.

in the form shown in Figure l the head is shown materially heavier and there Fore stronger than the toot. The foot is perhaps unduly light unless the jioint has a bottom tieplate under the rail flange, as in Figures 9 to 11, or unless the bolts are from bars of exceptionally good stock, when the form should be particularly adi 'antagecms as the greater section modulus of the head as compared to that of the foot should be very effective in absorbing impact stresses clue to the pounding action of the wheel.

The bar head has to be strong enough to stand up under these impact stresses which have a relatively smaller efiect at the foot portion of the Both the head andioot. m s have 2. considerable strength against horizontal distortion when the bolts are tightened, that is, should have reasonably high section moduli with respect to a vertical plane through the center of gravity axis of the bar.

This strength in horizontal direction should be suflicient to prevent any distortion of the bars along their lengths incident to tightening the bolts and for this reason the foot will often need to be fairly heavy, but less heavy than the head.

The actual dimensions of both foot and head ought to vary according to service conditions. Both should be heavy enough to meet the intended service without bending inwardly at the bolts when the nuts are tigh ened, but preferably the foot portion should not be heavier than is needed to do this.

In Figure 2, I show a form of bar having a relatively large foot section, a foot section almost as heavy in fact as the head section.

The pounding action of the wheels is a widely variant factor, increasing probably directly with the speed and weight oftrains and with the extent the running wheels are out of perfect balanceand perfect roundness and also without doubt varying with the solildity of rail support presented by the road be In subsequent figures I vary the position of the splice bar web to vary the bolt characteristics. This and the inventions aflecting the bolt seat and bolt characteristics cooperate of course with any type of head and foot splice bar flanges whether they extend beyond the rail flanges or not but cooperate best with the splice bar flanges shown.

In Figure 3 I have moved the web portion of the bars inwardly as compared to that of the bars shown in Figures 1 and 2 and have also made the foot portion large as compared to that of Figure 1 though less heavy than that of Figure 2.

The line 37 between the bearing surfaces at the foot and head respectively here passes through the web portion of the bar. The outward overhang of the head and foot flanges at 38 and 39 respectively is quite considerably greater than in the form shown in Flgure 1, and I provide a long nut 21 that extends outwardly from the bar web 40 to present a wrench hold 41 suitably beyond the outer edges of the flanges 38 and 39, and may provide the nut interior at any portion of 1118 length with an enlarged unthreaded portion 19, optionally varying the position of the threaded portion 20 along the length of the nut in order to accommodate the eflective lengths of the bolts to differences in service conditions.

The nut member of Figure 3 may be turned end for end for use with bolts of differenteffective lengths, either end of the nut being adapted to make spherical bearing engagement with the spherical seat on the bar web.

A very short bolt may mean a bolt of lesser requisite sectional area size as well as of lesser length. This is because it may be desired to limit the permanent set in the bolt to a definite maximum value which would be secured by a sectionally smaller bolt provided the bolt is to be effectively shorter and the pull of the nuts is to be the same in both cases.

It is obvious, however, that any simultaneous reduction in the bolt sectional area and reduction in the bolt effective length will mean a greater stress on the material of the bolt if the total stretch when the nuts are tightened is to be the same as before.

It may often happen that the bolt stock is sufliciently perfectly elastic to avoid any v material permanent set, provided the tension stress in the material of the bolt does not exceed a predetermined value and it will then usually be quite advantageous to have the bolt long and with a sectional size that will limit the stress to this predetermined maximum stress.

The relatively great length is to give it a relatively great elastic elongation, and the arrangement is one to give a live joint of great permanence and having a very uniform clamping force between the bolts and the splice bars.

In the form shown in Figure 4 the head is provided with an outward extension 44 which gives the bar a correspondingly greater upper section modulus. The form requires a relatively long bolt which is desirable when the bolt stock is so highly elastic that it has little or no permanent set.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of Figure 3 and also illustrates that the foot members may e recessed at 45 adjacent the rail flange in or er to rovide clearance for the head 46 of a tie sp1 e.

The spike may desirably be turned so that its head does not overlap the rail flange to the extent that is usual attics that are away from the Joint, in order to lessen the requisite depth of the recess 45;

Optionally the foot flange may not extend to the edge oi the rail flange and in this event the recessing of the foot flange to provide clearance for a tie spike will not be necessary (see Figure 8).

Figure 6 shows a quite desirable form in which the head is materially heavier than the foot, and in which a washer reinforcement member 47 fits between the head and foot flanges at the bolt, supporting these flange portions against one another.

Preferably the washer makes supporting engagement with the flanges near its outer edges, against the head at the top and against the foot at the bottom, thus functioning as a supporting rib between the head and foot portions of the bar. This rib strengthens and stifl'ens the bar as a whole and prevents vibratory movement between the head and foot members.

Figure 7 shows a form somewhat similar to Figure 4 but with both head and foot members heavier than in the earlier figure and having a somewhatdiilerent contour.

Figure 8 shows a form that is particularly desirable with the type of tie-plate illustrated in Figures 9 to 11. Both the inner and outer sides are concaved toward the middle of the bar and the nut is provided with an extension 48 for a square wrench hold.

The foot does not extend outwardly to the edge of the rail flange, suflicient space being left to afiord hold for a tie spike.

Figures 9 to 11 illustrate a desirable form of joint that includes a long tie-plate 49 8X tending across the ties 1% and 15 underneath the ends of the adjoining rails.

The tie-plate 49 is desirably of channel form having sides 50 fitting along the outside edges or" the rail flange.

1 show the rail raised slightly from the bottom or" the channel, as by means of one or more fiat cross plates 52 so as to leave some little space 53 at each end of tne channel to receive molten metal alter the joint members have been assembled, in order to firmly ails i the channel. This support the metal may be p forations 5% i the ends of the ehored to the re p The ends of gether if desired. example, by using danasbestos upon opposite sides of rails and pouring molt n op between the rails. ability of preventing movement or by welding them to a plate or welt ing ends together must be determined by the conditions present in the indi c e The splice bars 5? are li trated in any the other function very largely as morment to insure strength of the joint welding should in any case be detective.

lVliere the long channel tie plate underneath the rail ends at a joint is anchored to the rails at the ends of the tie plate there will be considerable tension upon the tie plate due to the efiectot the rolling trains and exaggerated by reason of the relatively great distance of the tie plate from the neutral axis of the rail. Adequate anchored tie plate support of this character can be made very effective in preventing deflection of the rails at the joint.

The metal between the head portions of the rails will psually be under compression while the joint is supporting a rolling load. Preferably the channel tie-plate is fastened to the ties by the overlapping heads 58 of spikes that enter the ties at the sides of the menses channel, similar to the usual spiking between the rail flanges and ties away from the joint.

This permits free running of the rails and tie-plate with respect to the ties which would be difiicult or impossible if the tie-plate were spiked directly to the ties as in the form of tie-plate shown in the other figures, where each tie-plate forms a seat individual to the ties and is spiked to the ties.

It is evident that the service conditions, commercial considerations, the available material, equipment and type of labor, the relative ease of assembly and disassembly,are all variant factors to be taken into account when determining which one of the different forms shown is preferable, and each of these factors may at difierent times be a predominant factor.

The form of joint illustrated in Figures 9 to ll, for example, while particularly effective as a joint, requires equipment and a grade of labor that is thus far frequently only inadequately available. This condition is being changed however by the present rapid progress in the art of easily providing su erhcated molten steel in small quantitics wh ier by the thermite process or by e l the use or" small lectric furnaces and by the s ii l i progresx 1 his at of easilv cutting out rai sections or replacement.

ced that in addition to the basis of compiu on of the comparative section moduli above there is another basis upon which. the structures illustrated could to iesist metal bel olt holes. This is true generally bu it is desirable also to have the section modu us of the metal above th bolt holes higher than that of the metal below the bolt l respect to the axis of olt holes as strength in each bolt the axis. the upper p in its entirety to resist bending and crushing straings transverse to the rail web, but gives an additional weight and strength of metal close to the rail head to withstand the impacts transmitted to it initially from the rail heads.

In view or" my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual judgment or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: X

l. A rail joint comprising rails having flanges,

abutting ends, and a pair of cooperating splice bars included by vertical planes that are determined by the outer edges of the rail flanges, each bar having a head engaging the rail head and a foot engaging the rail flange and the upper section modulus of the two bars considered together materially greater than the lower section modulus thereof.

. 2. A rail joint comprising rails having abutting ends, and a pair of cooperating splice bars included by vertical planes that are determined by the outer edges of the rail flanges, each bar having a head engaging the rail head and a foot engaging the rail flange and the center of gravity axis of the two bars materially above a horizontal middle axis thereof, that'is materially higher than midway between the uppermost and lowermost fibers of the bars.

3. A rail joint comprising rails having abutting ends, and a pair of cooperating splice bars included by vertical planes that are determined by the outer edges of the rail flanges, each bar having a head engaging the rail head and a foot engaging the rail flange, in combination with bolt members clamping the bars to place and interfitting arcuate bearing surfaces of and between the bars and said members.

4:. A rail joint comprising rails having abutting ends, and a pair of cooperating splice bars included by vertical planes that are determined by the outer edges of the rail each bar having a head engaging the rail head and a foot engaging the rail flange,

in combination with bolt members clamping the bars to place, each bolt member having a head making ball and socket engagement. with one bar and a nut making ball and socket engagement with the other.

5. A rail joint comprising rails having abutting ends, and a pair of cooperating splice bars included by vertical planes that are determined by the outer edges of the rail flanges, each bar having a head engaging the rail head and a foot engaging the rail flange, in combination with the bars to place, each bolt member having a head making ball and socket engagement with one bar and a long nut adapted to make ball and socket engagement with the other bar at either end of the nut'and threaded from one end thereof for a portion only of its length, the remainingportion of the length thereof bein adapted to pass the threaded end of the bolt without making screw engagement therewith.

6. A rail joint comprising rails having abutting ends, and a pair of cooperating splice bars included by vertical planes that are determined by the outer edges bf therail flanges, each bar having a head engaging the rail head and a foot engaging the rail flange, in combination with four bolt members clamping the bars to place and loated one bolt members clamping.

near each end of the bars and one near each rail end, the bolts at the rail ends being of grtcaltgter effective length than those at the bar en 7. A rail joint comprising rails having abutting ends, and a pair of cooperating splice bars included by vertical planes that are determined by the outer edges of the rail flanges, each bar having a head engaging the rail head and a foot engaging the rail flange, in combination with four bolt members clamping the bars to place and located one near each end of the bars and one near each rail end, the bolts at the rail ends being of alloy steel and those at the bar heads of carbon steel.

8. A rail joint comprising rails having abutting ends, a pair of cooperating splice bars included by vertical planes that are determined by the outer edges of the rail flanges, having web portions near the rail web and outwardly extending head and foot flanges that respectively engage the rail head and rail flange, the upper section modulus of the two bars being materially greater than the lower section modulus thereof, washer members fitting the space between the head and foot flanges supporting one flange against the other, and bolt members holding the washer members and the splice bars to place.

9. A rail joint comprising rails having abutting ends, and a pair of cooperating splice bars included by vertical planes that are determined by the outer edges of the rail flanges, each bar having a head engaging the rail head and a foot engaging the rail flange and the upper section modulus of the two bars materially greater than the lower sec tion modulus thereof, in combination with a long tie-plate under the bottoms of the ends of the rails and firmly anchored to one rail at one end and to the other rai'l at the other end.

10. A rail joint comprising rails having abutting ends, and a pair of cooperating splice bars included by vertical planes that are determined by the outer edges of the rail flanges, each bar having ahead engaging the rail headand a foot engaging the rail flange and the upper section modulus of the two bars materially greater than the lower section modulus thereof, in combination with a long channel tie-plate seating the adjoining endsof the rails, having sides fitting the edges of the rail flange and anchored at one end to one rail and at the other end to the other rail.

11. A rail joint comprising rails having abutting ends, and a pair of cooperating splice bars, each bar having a head engaging the railhead and a foot engaging the rail flange, in combination with pairs of bolt members clamping the bars to place and located one pair near the rail ends and one pair farther from the rail ends, the bolts at the rail ends being of greater effective length than those farther from the rail ends.

ping

pair near ther from t e i s than prising rails having I coopel'ati 9; splice g a head engaging the gaging the rail flan th bolt members clam 1 far l1 s, the bolts near the rail ends being 0 IOIX]. the rail having abutting g splice bars of ct sectional area er flanges and bolts to 1on,the relation 0 ge POSllILODS being flange v etzil in t the bolt ls tin ht an 21's in posit ions, and flan axis 01' below the axis of the bolts.

", a pair 0 t, rai

t com toot en join eve the l 1 of coopera spliced oars al rail g end ech bar l l head and a bination W1 the bars to place and located one In a fill 1 ntielly equal he ring upper and low 35 hold the splice b that there is more 3 ends, pa substa 12. A abuttm bars e Tiil 5 111 com the rail ends and one we rail encl alloy steel and those farther f 1 ends of carbon steel.

the bolt posit such 

